Campaigning for Heretics
by P.A. Lovas
Summary: As if being stripped of his privacy and the mountains of paper work weren't bad enough, Lavi had to go and pick now to confuse Allen’s heart. And how were they supposed to figure all this out while under Link’s ever present, watchful eye? Lavi/Allen
1. Chapter 1

Campaigning for Heretics

(A D.Gray Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, Kanda/Lenalee

Warning: Major spoilers for the current chapters (119+ to be on the safe side).

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1.

"Allen!"

Lavi frowned and scratched his head as he looked around the dreary grey halls of the Black Order headquarters. Where on earth had Allen gone to?

Lavi placed a hand on his chin, tapping a finger in thought. Obviously, since the missing person was one Allen Walker, the first place Lavi had checked was the dining hall. It hadn't taken Lavi long to figure that he was going to have to look elsewhere. Not that Allen stood out in any major way, even with his small stature and pure white hair. On the contrary, Lavi felt Allen fit in rather well. They were all a little goofy in their own ways, Lavi mused, raising a hand to the patch covering his right eye.

No, it wasn't Allen's looks that would have given him away. When Lavi entered the cafeteria, he had scanned for the one sure sign that Allen was there: a veritable mountain of food and dirty dishes. But since there was no fort of plates and bowls tipping dangerously on any of the long wooden tables, Lavi turned and left the hall almost as soon as he at entered, returning to his search for the illusive boy.

Next on the list had been the Library, which Lavi knew was wrong as soon as he turned down the corridor and there was silence. If Allen was in the Library, it was because he was being forced to fill out mountains of paperwork, a task that seemed to throw the boy into loud, clamoring fits. And since the halls weren't currently filled with shouts of "I'M GOING TO STARVE!" it was fairly obvious that Allen could be found elsewhere.

The last place Allen would be was his room. Since placed under careful watch, Allen was obviously worried about causing trouble to others. Whereas his free time had once been spent assisting the Science Division (which explains their undying affection for the boy), he now could be found napping or generally pacing around his quarters.

"Alleeeeen!" Lavi called sweetly, knocking on his door. "Rise and shine, Allen!" Lavi listened, furrowing his eyebrows. It was oddly quiet. Lavi decided to break out the big guns. "Come out come out, Beansprout!" Silence. There was no way Allen would ignore that particular remark, which meant he wasn't here either.

Lavi sighed as he walked down the hall, trying to figure out where Allen could be hiding. He went over Allen's usual hangouts in his head. Maybe he went to visit Lenalee? The two of them were rather close, so the idea seemed quite plausible. However, if he was wrong, Lavi knew he would only succeed in frightening the girl to the fact that Allen was missing. When it came to Allen, it seemed that everybody was a little on edge.

Rather annoyed with the failed mission and more than a little bored, Lavi reluctantly returned to the control room. Maybe he'd spend the day writing that report that the Old Man's been on his case about. Or maybe not.

As soon as he opened to the door, Lavi immediately knew something was wrong. He looked around and tried to place what was amiss.

All the books were in order and the files were fine. Lavi breathed a bit easier, knowing that Bookman would have his head if something happened to his work. The drawers were as he left them, all closed, save the left one that had been open just a crack due to an earlier raid search for some ink. The bookshelves were the same, still in haphazard alphabetical order. The desk was the pile it had been, and the floor was just as cluttered now as it was before. So what was it? He looked into the corner where his bed was situated, pillows tossed aside and covers thrown back. But Lavi noticed that the covers were pulled down further than they had before and were now brushing against the floor lightly. Lavi smiled. So that was it.

Lavi stepped lightly, moving cautiously toward the bed. He held his breath and controlled his movements. After all, loud, threatening noises tend to scare away small animals. He drew in a deep breath and was about to make his move as the door to the room flew open with a resounding slam, revealing one very out of breath and very angry looking Howard Link.

"Where," Link panted out.

"Huh? What's eating you, Two-spot?"

"Where. IS. he?!"

"Who?" Lavi blinked innocently, before furrowing his eyebrows. "Hey, where's Allen?"

"That's what I want to know," Link fumed, eyes darting around the room.

"You try the cafeteria? That's usually a safe bet. I mean, this is Allen we're talking about."

"Obviously." Link sighed and looked around. He had an expression that seemed to consider searching the control room, but decided against it when he noticed all the piles and general clutter. It really was a mess.

"Why don't you just hang out in the cafeteria," Lavi offered, dropping down to sit at the edge of his bed. He shrugged his shoulders in what he knew was an understanding, yet exasperating manner. "If there's one thing I've learned about Allen is that he'll always come around if there's food involved."

Link seemed to reflect on this. "Hm."

"Well, you could always leave a bowl of food by the door and hope he gets hungry." Lavi smiled as Link glared at him.

"Foolishness," Link muttered and he left the room just as he had entered; angry, flustered, and slamming doors.

Lavi let out a low chuckle. He leaned over, peering between his legs under the bed. Instead of being met with the usual darkness or abandoned clutter, he found himself met by steady, silver eyes. "I think it's safe now."

"Thank you." Allen slid out from under the bed. He took Lavi's offered hand and pulled himself to a standing position. "I thought he would never leave," he said, pulling his arms over his head in a languid stretch.

"This isn't like you," said Lavi, his voice holding a just a hint of scolding.

"I know."

"Allen, if Rouvelier finds out about this-"

"I know, I know!" Allen yelled, holding his head in frustration. "But I didn't know what else to do! Ah, this is really bad, isn't it?"

Lavi smiled as he watched Allen's tumult. He'd convince Allen to return to Link's side in a moment, but for now, Lavi was just happy that Allen decided to seek his refuge in him. "So," said Lavi as Allen cleared a spot on the floor to sit. "What brings you to my humble abode on penalty of death?"

"I just really, really needed a break."

"A break? From Two-spot? I knew that guy was causing you trouble."

"No, not really," Allen said, crossing his legs. Lavi couldn't help but notice how long they were for such a small boy. "He's actually not that bad."

"Allen, just because somebody feeds you, it doesn't make them nice," Lavi teased.

"He doesn't feed me ALL the time." Allen's shoulders hunched and he stared at his feet while he grumbled.

"How'd you escape?"

Allen looked away, the smallest hint of a blush gracing his features. He raised a finger and scratched at his nose, embarrassed. "I ducked out while he was in the bathroom."

Lavi laughed, imagining Link's face when he found out Allen was missing. "Oh man, I wish I could have seen that."

Allen shrugged. "I do feel a little bad. He sounded pretty mad, huh?"

Lavi slid from the bed to the floor, leaning against Allen for a moment before speaking. "Hey, Beansprout."

"It's Allen." The reply was the same as always, but his voice was steady. He didn't yell, just pushed back. This time, Lavi just let their shoulders touch. Even through Allen's hooded sweater, Lavi could feel his warmth.

"Hey, Allen…"

"What is it, Idiot Lavi?"

"I'm glad I found you."

"Found me?" Allen looked over at Lavi, his head cocking lightly to the side. "You were looking for me?"

"I was. And then I find you, and save you, and you resort to petty name calling." Lavi leaned into him a bit more. "I'm deeply hurt." Lavi could feel Allen's laugh against his back.

"You are not."

"I am. Your words cut me deep, Beansprout."

"It's Allen!"

"See? Name-calling hurts."

"Yes, but only when it's convenient for you, right?"

"Naturally."

The conversation fell into a comfortable silence as they sat, simply leaning into each other. Lavi noticed their hands on the floor, only centimeters away from touching. Lavi stretched out his pinky, bumping into Allen's. He didn't move. Neither did Allen.

"Hey, Allen."

"Hmm?" His voice was small and warm, and Lavi wondered if Allen was falling asleep.

"You know we need to get you back, right?"

"I know."

"You gonna be ok?"

"Mm hmm."

Lavi knew he should force the issue more. This is more than just a simple game of hooky Allen was playing. If Rouvelier was informed of Allen's escape, it could escalate into something truly horrifying. After all, Malcom C. Rouvelier was more terrifying than most of the Akuma Lavi had faced and more underhanded than the Earl. But Allen's body was so warm against his back and their fingers were just barely touching. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to move. "Allen?"

"What is it?"

Lavi didn't know what he wanted to say. For the first time since he could remember, he was speechless. He just wanted to fill the silence. Whatever was happening here was unnerving him. His training had never prepared him for this, whatever this was.

Lavi never got to finish these thoughts as the door to the control room opened. They both scrambled quickly to their feet.

"It's just me, you fool."

"Huh? Gramps?" asked Lavi.

Bookman watched the scene for a moment, his kohl-rimmed eyes as emotionless and searching as usual. Yet somehow, Lavi felt exposed, as if he had been doing something he shouldn't have. Then again, he was always doing something he shouldn't, so perhaps this wasn't as bad as he thought. Bookman frowned at him. Then again, maybe it was.

"Allen Walker."

"Huh? Oh, yes!" Allen took a step forward, his expression shaky. He was visibly nervous, and Lavi wondered if Allen was remembering all the times in the past where Bookman had punished Allen for, more often than not, something Lavi had done. Or not done. Or broken.

"It seems Inspector Link is looking for you. You are to return to him, apologize, and pray that he decides not to take this higher."

"Oh, um, yes. I'm sorry." Allen bowed to Bookman.

"If you are asked, you have been spending the morning with me, filling out reports on the Ark."

"Really?" Lavi and Allen said in unison. They looked at each other, shock passing between them.

"Really," Bookman said, a small smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "However, I will expect to see you first thing in the morning for that report."

"Wait, you're making Allen do work?" Lavi asked.

"Before breakfast?!" said Allen.

Bookman pinned them both with a glare and they lowered their heads, accepting. Bookman sighed, wondering over when his position was demoted to "babysitter".

"Let's get you back, huh?" Lavi finally said.

"Alright." Allen nodded his head, his face flush with his embarrassment. Allen never took well to being seriously scolded.

"I'll be back in a bit, Gramps."

Bookman inclined his head slightly and made a small noise at the back of his throat. Lavi took that to mean Bookman understood.

Bookman watched out of the corner of his eye as Lavi placed a hand on Allen's shoulder and pushed him gently toward the door. He frowned. Lavi was already headed down an erroneous path and Bookman knew this was substantially caused by Allen. Bookman had felt it the first time he laid eyes on Allen Walker; that boy was going to destroy a lot more than just time.

. . . .

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Allen had always loved the Order, from Jerry's delicious meals all the way to the dusty, stone halls. He loved the people that lived beside him and the encounters they would have. He even loved those crazy robots Komui would sometimes make, though you'd never hear Allen admit it out loud.

It was this very thought that made the days so hard to get through this past week. Whereas Allen once found comfort within these walls, he suddenly felt as if they were closing in on him. All he wanted now was escape and the feeling ran up his spine to nestle uncomfortably between his shoulder blades. It made him restless and the sensation increased with each step he took toward returning to his captivity.

"Come on, Allen. Cheer up!" Lavi said, tucking his hands behind his head as they made their way through the corridors leading to Allen's room.

"Mm hmm."

Lavi frowned at Allen's expression. "It's not so bad. I mean, Gramps got you off the hook, right?"

"I guess."

Lavi sulked for a moment and tried again. "I'll help with the report, kay? So don't look so upset."

Allen shook his head. "I'm just sick of the paper work. It feels like it'll never end."

Lavi laughed. "Sometimes I feel that way. When I do, I just think of Komui and Reever and the others, and somehow, it makes me feel a whole lot better. I mean, it could be way worse, right?"

Allen seemed to consider this. After a moment, he hung his head, his expression falling even further. "I guess this was pretty selfish of me, huh?"

Lavi shrugged. "A little, but I wouldn't worry about it," he said, honestly. "Besides, we all do it."

"Paper work?"

"Complaining," Lavi said, throwing an arm around Allen's shoulder. He had to bend a little at the waist to do so, but the result was good: Allen flushed as he always did, and tried to push Lavi away.

"Lavi, let go."

"Hmm? Why?" Lavi draped himself across Allen, letting his weight sag against him.

"Honestly," Allen said, grabbing Lavi's wrist and tossing it aside. "You're worse than a child."

"I'm older than you are," Lavi said, thumbing his nose, grinning impishly. "So what does that make you?"

"Too young to be your guardian," Allen said smartly. He turned away from Lavi in a pout, but not before Lavi took full notice of the blush that was slowly spreading over Allen's face. Lavi just laughed in response, noticing that Allen's shoulders sagged less and his lips were no longer pulled into a deep scowl. Somehow, that alone was enough to make Lavi feel quite good.

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Allen took a deep breath and placed his hand on the door that stood between him and his room. He closed his eyes, and squared his shoulders and with every ounce of willpower he could muster, Allen pushed the door open.

"Welcome back," Link said, not bothering to look up. He was seated cross-legged on the floor, having pulled up Allen's clothing trunk to use as a makeshift table. The corners of his mouth were turned down as he flipped through a stack of papers, scratching furiously with his pen at something he obviously found journalistically offensive.

"Uh…I'm back," Allen said, smiling uneasily. Allen shifted from one foot to the other as he stood in the doorway, his gaze flitting around the room.

After a moment, Lavi gave Allen a small push into the room. "I'm returning what we stole," Lavi said, giving Link a careless grin.

Link finally picked up his head, narrowing his eyes at Lavi. "If you knew where he was, you should have said so earlier."

"And where's the fun in that?" Lavi tossed out casually, dropping to sit on Allen's bed. He threw himself backwards, placing his hands behind his head as he sank into the soft mattress. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. The pillow smelled fresh and clean, like a sunny breeze, and just around the edges was a mild array of food smells. Lavi smiled at his next thought: Allen smelled like summer.

Link just watched Lavi for a moment beneath heavily lidded eyes, before returning to his usual air of indifference and buried himself once again in his paper work. Allen's gaze shifted between the pair, before he sighed and kneeled before the trunk.

Link lifted his eyes briefly. "The next time you have a meeting, you are required to tell me."

"I'm sorry," Allen offered.

"In addition," Link continued as if he hasn't heard Allen, "You will need to fill out these forms for today, in triplicate, and then forms A through G for any other meetings you need to attend."

"Eh?!" Allen's eyes widened at the stack of papers Link pushed under Allen's nose. "You're kidding, right?"

"I don't kid," Link said. He tossed a glare in the direction of the bed as Lavi let out a very obvious snicker.

"More paperwork?" Allen whined, dropping his chin to the surface of the trunk. He poked at the pen that was placed before him, and pushed it off the table. Without missing a beat, Link reached down, picked it up, and placed it back in front of the miserable looking Allen. "Thanks," Allen mumbled, halfheartedly.

"Hn."

Allen picked up the pen and glared at it once before straightening his back and shoulders. He pulled the papers closer and began the mind-numbing task of completing the forms:

Name. He wrote "Allen Walker".

Age. 15.

Date of Birth. Allen chewed on the end of the pen, debating what to write. N/A? Unknown? He considered over writing down the 25th of December. After all, that's when Allen's life had truly begun. As he mused over this, the gentle chewing had escalated into a gnashing.

"Skip it," Link instructed.

Allen wondered how Link had known what he was stuck on, before finally concluding it had to be based on how much Link seemed to know about Allen's past. After all, Link had, with-in the first hour of their meeting, revealed an awful lot of speculations about Allen's relationship with Mana. The words had bristled, stroking Allen's already fragile ego, hitting the deepest spots of his insecurity.

Allen shook his head of these thoughts and moved onto the next question. He wanted to be done with this as quickly as possible. As he continued, he found the questions got increasingly harder and increasingly more _boring_. Allen's writing was small and cramped and messy as he mulled over his answers. This type of task always made him feel stupid and rather self conscious over his lack of education. For the most part, it didn't usually bother Allen and he generally found that he was as worldly as he needed to be. But this, Allen thought as he frowned at what he just wrote, _this_ made him feel like an idiot.

Allen supposed he deserved it, what with his earlier conduct. Still, Allen couldn't help but think of the million and one other things he'd rather be doing right now.

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The night was uncomfortably warm to the point of being insufferable. The covers had been thrown off earlier, though Allen still kicked at them repeatedly. They had half fallen to the floor by this point, but no matter how far they receded, it was still too damn hot.

Careful not to wake Link, who was snoring lightly from his futon, Allen slipped from the bed. He padded quietly over to the window and pushed his head against the cool glass. He didn't even think twice about the dark shadow hanging ominously over his shoulder, reflecting in the window's surface. It was just another reason for Allen to worry and he felt too drained to agonize over it tonight. Besides, it wasn't quite as terrifying as the Akuma souls or as real as the Noah. It fell somewhere in between; a silent, smiling wraith.

He hadn't told anybody about the shadow, except during that first moment when he had cried out in initial surprise, demanding to know if Link could see it as well. Link had scoffed, chiding Allen for his childish joke. Later, Allen realized he was glad for it. He didn't know what kind of ammunition it would be for Rouvelier's case against him but he really didn't want to dwell over it. And somehow tonight, the shadow offered a bit of comfort, especially with the absence of Timcanpy.

Whether the golden golem was with Komui in order to study the Ark in more detail or with Rouvelier in some vague attempt to trap both him and Cross, Allen wasn't certain. But at nights like this, when sleep seemed impossible, Allen missed the silent companionship and familiar weight on his head.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small tapping at the door, so light that he almost didn't hear it. He moved as quietly as he could, and opened the door just a crack. What greeted him was a startling green eye and a lopsided grin. Allen had to keep himself from yelling, lowering his voice into a whisper, surprised and a little scolding. "Lavi! What are you doing here?"

Lavi put a finger to his lips and nodded his head. His body language was saying "be quiet and come out here". Allen obliged, closing the door as silently as he could.

"What are you doing here so late?" Allen asked again.

Instead of words, Lavi responded by placing his hands on Allen's shoulders, pushing him against the wall. A questioning sound escaped Allen as he felt the stone on his back, cool and comfortable against his heated flesh. Lavi stared at him, the look in his visible eye searching for something in Allen's, his usual carefree smile replaced with a frown. Allen called his name uncertainly.

"Lavi? Are you ok?"

Lavi gave a bitter laugh and shook his head, dropping it to the crook of Allen's shoulder. "No, I'm really not and it's entirely your fault."

Allen was a bit alarmed at Lavi's actions. He'd never seen Lavi quite like this before. "My fault?" Allen's hands rose to Lavi's shoulders, awkwardly trying to sooth whatever was ailing his friend. He felt Lavi nod. "I'm sorry." Allen wasn't sure what Lavi meant, but he couldn't stop the words from tumbling from his lips.

"You don't even know what you're apologizing for," said Lavi, voice muffled. His breath was hot and wet against Allen's neck and made him shiver.

"You're right, I don't. But whatever I've done to upset you, I'm sorry." Allen was a startled by this change in Lavi. He was afraid that maybe Lavi hadn't come back entirely. That perhaps a vital piece of him was left in the Ark, along with whatever bits remained of Road's burnt, decaying corpse. What if their friendship was irreversibly damaged because Allen had been unable to save him in time?

He put his right hand over Lavi's chest, feeling the dull thumping of his heart. "It's still here," Allen said out loud without realizing it. Allen felt Lavi pull back and repeat the action, his hand warm against his chest.

"You should have told me," Lavi whispered.

"I'm sorry," said Allen again. He wasn't sure what Lavi was referring to, but he supposed there were a lot of things he hadn't told him.

Lavi stepped out of Allen's embrace, and they both sighed a silent relief. Neither was used to or really partial to physical contact, so the prolonged heat was foreign and a little frightening.

"I've been having trouble sleeping," Lavi finally explained. "Nightmares."

"Nightmares about what?"

"You." Lavi was speaking in a matter-of-fact sort of way, as if he was commenting on the weather or what he was going to order for dinner, though more to the wall than to Allen. "I keep seeing that memory over and over again. I never hated my ability to remember every small detail until now. Every night, I've had to watch you die." He turned away from Allen, his usually schooled expression crumbling. He looked more in pain than Allen had ever seen him before.

"How did you-"

"Tim's memories. We watched them, me and Lenalee." Though Lavi had his back to him, Allen could see that his jaw was clenched, his fists shaking with some suppressed emotion. "Over and over I hear you scream, even when I'm awake."

"I'm sorry," whispered Allen, leaning his forehead against Lavi's back. It seemed to be all he was saying tonight. "I didn't know. You should have told me."

Lavi let out a whisper of a laugh as Allen repeated his own words back to him. He turned around, reaching out to keep Allen from moving too far away. He lifted a hand, brushing against Allen's cheek, following the path of his scar. There was no teasing in Lavi's touch this time and Allen just sighed and tilted his face into the contact.

Lavi seized at this opportunity and leaned over, brushing his lips gently against Allen's. It was warm and fleeting and spoke of promises. Allen whimpered both in confusion and irritation as Lavi pulled away.

"Why did you do that?"

Lavi smiled at him, carefree and honest. It was the smile he wore best. "I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming."

"Well?"

"Well what? Was I dreaming?" Lavi laughed as Allen nodded. "Sure feels like it, Beansprout."

"It's Allen!"

"Shh," Lavi warned, pressing a finger to Allen's lips. "You don't want to wake up Two-spot, do you?"

Allen shook his head. "Not especially." If Link woke, Allen would have to explain what he was doing. What _they _were doing. Just thinking about it made his heart race uncomfortably.

"Well, goodnight," Lavi said. Allen flushed darkly as Lavi pressed the fingers that had been touching Allen's lips to his own mouth in an indirect kiss. With that, Lavi tossed a wave casually over his shoulder and he walked away without a backwards glance.

Allen watched after him, and once he could no longer make out Lavi's silhouette down the hall, he turned back toward his room. He held his breath and pushed the door open, stiffening at the small groan the hinges let out. Allen put a hand to his chest as Link's light snoring continued undisturbed and he padded back across the small room.

Allen groused as he flopped back onto his bed with a sigh. His thoughts ran over the events from just moments before, and for some reason he couldn't get the look in Lavi's eye out of his mind. He'd never seen his friend in such a state before and his heart ached when he remembered Lavi's words…_It's entirely your fault._

Laying his head against the pillow, Allen ran a finger over his lips. Why had Lavi done that? Did he come over here with that kiss in mind, or was it something that just happened? And why did his chest hurt when he thought about it? Allen sighed again and pulled his knees to his chest, all the while cursing Lavi's name. Now _he_ wasn't going to be able to sleep, and it was entirely Lavi's fault.

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AN: I need to start off with… I love Link. He has such amazing promise as a character. I also wanted to write something fun and sappy to offset my other fic. The rating on this is still up for revision, depending on my mood. But we'll see.

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for reading :D


	2. Chapter 2

Campaigning for Heretics

(A D.Gray-Man fanfiction)

By P.A. Lovas

Pairings: Lavi/Allen, Kanda/Lenalee

Warning: Major spoilers for the current chapters (119+ to be on the safe side).

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2.

"I'm so bored!" cried Lavi for the hundredth time that morning. He was seated upside down on the small couch in the control room, his legs bent over the back. Allen laughed.

"Nobody said you had to be here," Link said, a small tick appearing above his eye.

"But this is my room," Lavi explained, smiling at him, albeit upside down. His face was starting to redden as the blood rushed to his head, and Allen was pretty sure it would rival the color as his hair soon.

"Yes, well, when you invited us, I believe the words you chose for deception were, and I quote, 'It's really super quiet in there because it was built for study.' Wasn't that it?"

"Actually, what I said was-"

Deciding to defuse the situation before it got out of hand (which was certainly possible with these two), Allen crawled over and tugged Lavi's headband up to wrap around his mouth, causing his words to come out muffled and distorted. "There we go, Inspector Link. That should make things go smoother, don't you think?"

Link rolled his eyes and gave a small sigh while Lavi was trying to school his expression to look shocked and wounded, though Allen could see the laughter in his visible eye.

Lavi pulled the headband away with an exaggerated gasp, before yanking Allen into a headlock. Allen expertly ducked out of it, only to find arms wrapped around his waist as he made to escape. The two wrestled in this fashion for a while, tugging at hair and faces as they shouted nicknames and small un-pleasantries at each other.

"That's enough!" Link rose to his feet, and seemed to loom angrily, the act impressive considering his small stature. Allen and Lavi stopped, and turned to him. Allen's finger was hooked on Lavi's mouth while Lavi had been pinching at the Allen's cheek. Timcanpy was latched onto Allen's head, chewing silently at his hair. Allen had woken that morning to find Tim nestled sleepily atop his head, and since then the golem seemed to refuse to wander very far away.

Lavi and Allen released the hold on each other, looking embarrassed as Tim rose to flutter around their heads giving a dizzying illusion.

"It's bad enough for the noise, but it's like trying to work in a room of lumbering circus bears!"

"Sorry," they said in unison.

Link sighed and rubbed at his forehead. He had to remind himself that, exorcists and world saviors aside (and possible heretics, must not forget his mission), these were also just two teenage boys. Two teenage boys, who've been locked in a room silently, well for the most part, for the last 3 hours. Not everybody had his dedication, Link realized. He sighed.

"I think it's time for a break."

"Really?" Allen's face lit up and he smiled happily.

Lavi rose to his feet, brushing his hands on his pants. "About time. So, Allen, where to? The cafeteria,? What about the Science department? I'm kind of wondering about how my Innocence is coming."

"Nobody's including you," Link said, his gaze firm and level. "You stay here." His words were said in the tone one would use to scold an unruly dog and Lavi frowned in response.

Allen shook his head. "Sorry, Lavi, but I actually have something else in mind."

. . . .

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This boy never ceases to wonder, Link thought as he sat in the infirmary with his charges (well, one charge and one infuriating tag-along). Allen just stood alongside Krory's bed, talking to him sofftly as if he was awake and could answer him at any moment. Link wasn't sure if it was sweet or sad. He decided it was probably a little of both.

"When you wake up, we'll make sure to get you lots of food," Allen said, as Krory's stomach grumbled through his sleep.

"Well, that's only if Allen doesn't eat it all first. You better hurry and wake up, Kro-chan, before all the food in the Order is gone."

"You see? We need you. Lavi's obviously out of control without you around to scold him. And Lenalee misses you as well. I hear she comes to see you sometimes with Miss Miranda. That must make you happy."

The figure on the bed never moved or spoke back, though the occasional murmur of "Eliade" could be heard.

Allen hung his head, grasping Krory's limp hand with both of his. "We miss you around here, Krory. It feels like something important is missing, though I suppose that's because there is." He paused. "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to save you. I'm sorry I abandoned you."

Lavi's voice was gentle as he spoke, "Hey, where's that Allen that believes in his friends and in all the good things in life? Kro-chan wouldn't want you to be upset. Have faith in his strength to pull through, k?"

Allen nodded, keeping his eyes on Krory's face. He had never known a coma could look so much like sleep. It was deceiving and gave the false sense that everything was fine. But it wasn't fine, and Allen swore a new resolve. He would believe in Krory, but he would never leave a comrade behind again. Never again.

"I haven't seen much of Lenalee around lately," Allen mused as they started their walk back to the control room, Tim flapping between them. "I bet she's been visiting Komui."

Lavi caught Link's eye and knew they were both thinking the same thing: Not likely. It was common knowledge that Rouvelier was looming over the entire science department and had tabs on everything going on there. Despite the deep, unyielding bond between the Lee siblings, there was no doubt that Lenalee was nowhere near Komui and his very unwelcome companion.

"It must be nice to have family around." Allen sighed a dreamy little sigh and Lavi was sure his thoughts were full of Mana.

Link seemed to perk up at Allen's words, obviously seeing an opportunity to interrogate Allen further on his foster father.

"You know," Lavi piped up, successfully cutting off Link. "We could go down and pay him a visit, see if Lenalee's down there." He knew this would send Link into a riot on duty and work and his favorite expression at these moments:

"Playtime is officially over," said Link, not letting Lavi down.

"Come on, this isn't playing." He dropped an arm around Link's shoulders, bending at the waist to do so. It was almost as much as he had to bend with Allen, although, Link was not nearly as fun to hold, though that was neither here nor there. But his reactions are good, Lavi thought as Link stiffened, glaring at him full force.

"If you don't remove yourself right now, you won't need to worry about your innocence, because you'll find yourself without a hand to hold it." It was enough to make Lavi let go and step backwards, hands spread out.

"Woah, woah. Easy there, Two-" Lavi stopped as Allen gave him a warning look. "Easy there, Inspector," Lavi tried again. "I just thought it might help jog Allen's memory if we saw the Ark."

"You're just worried about your silly hammer."

Lavi laughed. "That's true. It definitely feels awkward not having Ouzuchi Kouzuchi around. I'm not denying that's part of it. However…" Lavi pierced Link with a serious look, all traces of his usual playful demeanor vanishing. "Your goal is to get Allen to admit something about the "Fourteenth", right? You may not believe it, but Allen doesn't know what that even means."

"I've already-"

"We know, you've explained it. God help us, we know you've explained it." Lavi shook his head. "That's not what I mean. If you were in the position of the Fourteenth, would you go around announcing your abilities, especially to somebody so obviously imbued with Innocence?"

Lavi noticed as Allen stiffened at these words and tugged at his left sleeve and he silently made a small vow to make it up to Allen later. Their eyes met and an unsaid conversation passed between them in seconds.

A simple stare. _Follow my lead._

A small raise of a delicate eyebrow. _Are you sure about this?_

He tilted his head to the side. _Allen, you need to learn trust me._

Raising a shoulder in a tiny shrug. _I do, I do. Ok, here goes nothing._

"Actually," Allen said, offering a sweet smile. "I hear they've got cake down there."

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

"You know," Lavi said poking at his cake with his fork. "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"Mm hmm." Allen had just polished off his own pieces of cake and was busy eyeing Lavi's.

"However, with Two-spot now reporting to Rouvelier, guess that means you're stuck here."

"Yep," Allen said distractedly, eyes following the motions of Lavi's fork as he pushed a strawberry slice around his plate.

Smiling, Lavi handed his plate over. "I'm not really in the mood for sweets," he said. He did promise himself to make it up to Allen for that comment he made earlier about his arm. He supposed this was a pretty good start.

Allen beamed and dove in before Lavi could change his mind. After all, when it came to food, Allen's motto was "Eat first, ask questions later."

Lavi let his gaze wander over the science room as he sucked at the lingering icing on his fork. It was probably messier here than even his room was on a bad day. He turned to Allen to say as much, but stopped as he saw Allen blush and turn away. His confusion only lasted a moment until he pulled the fork from between his lips, licking the remaining icing off. _Oh, he was remembering last night_.

Lavi was unprepared on how happy it made him that Allen was thinking about it, though Lavi was sure it was a hard thing to forget; getting kissed by one of your best friends. And, judging from that reaction, he probably didn't dislike it, Lavi told himself. He looked around the office. Link was issuing his report and Komui and the rest of the Scientists were all still huddled around the Ark. They found themselves blissfully alone and it was hard not to assume that God or somebody was urging them on.

He leaned over, placing his hand over Allen's right hand (knowing it created less of a chance of startling Allen away than if he had grabbed his left) and Allen stiffened in response, and turned slowly. Their eyes met, faces only inches apart and Allen's lips moved soundlessly in question. Lavi just smiled a silent reply before pushing his mouth to Allen's.

Lavi could taste the cake on their tongues as the kiss deepened, his hands rising to Allen's face, holding him there. Allen made no indication of wanting to move one way or the other, his arms held at his sides, not pulling, though more importantly, not pushing Lavi away. But Allen's eyes were closed and he made small, whimpering moans deep in his throat.

Lavi broke the kiss, leaning his forehead against Allen's, both of them breathing a little heavier than normal.

"Why?" Allen asked in a soft breath, his eyes closed, his cheeks flushed.

"Icing," was all Lavi said, tipping Allen's face back up, running his tongue along Allen's bottom lip. He felt Allen shiver and lean forward in a silent plea for more and Lavi was more than happy to oblige.

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

Allen knew Lenalee's habits rather well by now, so he had purposely asked Link if it was possible for them to have breakfast out in the garden. It was a beautiful day, the sun beaming down warmly, warding off the bit or early morning chill that swept from the large moat around the Order. The air smells distinctly salty, mingling with the full blooming hydrangea bushes, giving the area an overwhelming feeling of summer. The area was wide, containing various flowers and bushes lining the veranda that was adorned with typical, though carefully arranged patio furniture. This was the only spot in the Black Order in which you could get a clear view of the sky, and even despite that, it usually felt quite peaceful. Though today, the mood was anything but relaxed.

"He did WHAT?"

Allen stared at Lenalee with wide, unblinking eyes, as she slammed her teacup into its saucer. "Lenalee, SHH!" The porcelain cup chimed loudly, vibrating from the force, though with some luck, the small, delicate cup managed to remain intact. "You're going to break something," he warned, heaving a sigh.

"Who cares about that?" Lenalee asked, waving her hand. She blushed when she realized Link was staring directly at her from the next table over, an eyebrow raised in interest. "Sorry," Lenalee offered, and scooter her chair closer to Allen. She ducked her head in, lowering her voice as she whispered at him. "So what happened?"

Allen shook his head and pulled his hair in front of his eyes. When he spoke, it was in a nervous rush of breath. "I…I'm not sure. He came to see me last night and one minute we're talking and the next he…he had…."

"He kissed you?"

Allen nodded, his hands twisting violently into the hem of his shirt. "Why would he do that? Do you think he's making fun of me?" Allen asked, picking up his head to look at Lenalee. The emotions she saw in his eyes concerned her: anger and fear and anxiety and there was also doubt, though for Allen, that was nothing new.

"Lavi wouldn't do something like that to tease you." She paused as Allen raised an eyebrow at her, and they both seemed to be echoing the same thought: _Yes, he would._ Lenalee coughed. "Let me rephrase that. I don't think Lavi would do something like that JUST to tease you."

"What's the difference?"

Lenalee placed a finger to her lips, tapping gently as she thought. She had to consider her words carefully. There was no doubt in her mind that Lavi would be quite upset if she said something insensitive and cause Allen to clam up. Lenalee knew Lavi would never do anything to physically hurt her, but revenge can come in many forms, and Lenalee had no desire to see what would come from an aggravated Lavi; his temper always seemed to boil under the surface and always just a little too hot where Allen was concerned. She'd seen him angry, truly angry, only once and that had been more than unsettling enough. "Well, what I mean is, I don't think he kissed you with the sole intention of making fun of you. For Lavi, that always seems like gravy."

"Gravy?" Allen perked up at the food analogy, and Lenalee had to giggle.

"It means it's like an added bonus."

"A bonus to what?"

"Kissing you, I would assume. Unless, he did something else." Lenalee's eye narrowed slightly, protectively. "He didn't do anything else, did he?"

Allen flushed darkly. He hadn't even considered that. "N-no! There was only that one kiss. Well…and the second one."

"There was a SECOND?!"

"Lenalee, SHH!"

Again, Lenalee noticed Link's attention drawn to the pair, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny. She settled back into her chair and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry. But Allen, what are you possibly confused about? He kissed you twice that obviously means-"

"Three times," Allen said, his face flush behind the curtain of hair he pulled over his face.

Lenalee sputtered ungracefully, brows drawn together. "He kissed you on three separate occasions?" she asked slowly, not wanting to misunderstand.

Allen shook his head lightly, his eyes still hidden, though his mouth was pulled into an uncertain frown. "No, it was only two times, but he kissed me twice in Komui's office."

"My brother's office?" Lenalee raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she slammed her hands on the table, obviously panicked. "Oh my God, my brother wasn't THERE was he?"

Allen's head shot up. "W-what?! Why would you think that?"

"Was he involved in this somehow? Did he make you eat or drink anything…odd? Did the room smell weird or anything seem out of the ordinary?"

Allen's expression changed from flustered to genuinely confused. "Komui wasn't there at all. Why?"

"I was just checking," Lenalee said, relief flooding her features as she, once again, had settled back down to her chair. She picked up the small, silver spoon that she had set on the saucer earlier and began stirring her tea, idly. The tea had long since grown too cold for drinking, but the act of stirring it seemed to sooth her, even if just a bit. "So did you like it?"

"Huh? Like what?"

"The kiss," said Lenalee simply, clinking the spoon against the side of the cup before turning toward Allen. She twined her fingers together creating a sort of sling to which she dropped her chin into, propping herself up on her elbows. "Did you like it?" she asked again, regarding him with intense, violet eyes.

Allen blushed and seemed as if he was trying to curl into himself and disappear. His hands rose to his hair, tugging it almost vehemently in front of his face, and Lenalee winced sympathetically. "I don't know."

"Ok, let's try it this way," Lenalee said, waving the original question away with her hand. "Did you DISLIKE it?"

Lenalee hadn't thought it was possible for Allen to have blushed any further, and as soon as Allen processed the question, he proved her wrong. His face was now a violent shade of red, starting from under his collar and creeping over his face and even darkening his ears; Allen was blushing with his entire body.

"I…I don't know. I don't think so."

"Well, did you kiss him back?" asked Lenalee, and she watched as Allen nodded in response. "Well there you have it."

"Have what?"

"Your answer."

Allen blinked at her. "What was the question?"

Lenalee made to answer, but paused, realizing she wasn't sure what the original question had been, or in actuality, if there had been a question at all. Her mouth was left hanging open as she furrowed her brows and Allen startled her by placing a finger under her chin and clicking her jaw shut. Their eyes met, and all at once, the two of them were laughing quite ridiculously. Link grunted at them, as he looked at the giggling pair, obviously with the intent of letting them know they were being disruptive. However, the act only succeeded in making Allen and Lenalee laugh harder, and Link sighed, rubbing at his temples. For him, there appeared to be no sanctuary.

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

Allen sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the last 5 minutes. In fact, based on the black look Link gave him, it very well could have been. After the visit to the Science Division (in which Rouvelier and Link unanimously decided that Allen was to be nowhere near the Ark), Lavi had left to do whatever it was that Lavi does. That had been yesterday afternoon, and they found themselves oddly (and thankfully, in Link's case) sans one hyperactive red-head.

Allen's thoughts started to wander back to the last two days and he had to scold himself. He shook his head clear and tried to concentrate on the accounting reports before him.

Fifteen thousand dollars in food costs this week. Check. One million in mechanical parts. Check. Two million for robot damages. Check.

The words and numbers became nonsensical blurs as his pen moved along the page, not really reading. Check. Check. Check. This and that one too. Check.

"What is all this?!" Allen jumped. He hadn't seen Link get up. He was now reading the report over Allen's shoulder, and he did not look happy. "This isn't right at all! You can't just check everything off as a deductable expense."

Allen blinked at Link, before dropping the pen and letting it roll across the table and onto the floor. "Well, I don't know how to do this stuff! I'm sure you, of all people, know I haven't exactly been to school. Besides, who let's a fifteen year old fill out these kind of reports?"

Allen watched as Link eyed the stack of papers that Allen had already "completed". He sighed and waved a hand. "Whatever. I don't really care anymore."

"Really?" Allen was surprised. It wasn't like Link to shirk duties.

"Most of these papers will never see the light of day once they get filed down to the head office, anyway."

Allen smiled as he thought about Komui's unique filing system. "That's probably true enough," he said, getting up from his desk, stretching. He felt Link's eyes on him as he fell onto the bed and began flipping through the report he was writing for Bookman in exchange of his earlier amnesty.

After reading the same sentence for almost ten minutes, Allen snapped the book closed. All this was getting him nowhere. He rolled into his back and placed his palms over his eyes, letting out an irritated noise. Something was happening to him, that he was sure of. The last time he had been so unsettled was when he was trying to restore his damaged arm. But this felt different. It wasn't that panicked sort of feeling that had settled along his spine, hard and prickling. It was warm and sank into the pit of his stomach where it sort of squirmed uncomfortably.

If this had been anybody else, it would have caused a loss of appetite. But this was Allen Walker, parasitic innocence user and a teenage boy at that. It would take more than a wormy stomach to stop him. So with renewed vigilance, Allen proceeded to roll around the bed crying, "I'm HUNGRY" knowing it was only a matter of minutes before Link caved. He saw a tick in corner of Link's eye. Maybe only a matter of seconds.

. . . .

. . .

. .

.

"Thanks for the meal," Allen said happily, rubbing at his stomach. He had good food, good company, and best of all, Link was one table over. He had said that the incessant chatter was keeping him from work, though Allen was sure Link was just as sick of Allen as he was of Link.

Lenalee giggled. "You seem to be feeling better."

Allen gave an embarrassed laugh, rubbing at the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I think everything was just getting to me. But I've decided not to let it bother me. I'm sure everything will work out, right?"

"Right."

"What about you?" asked Allen.

"What about me?" Lenalee cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"You've looked a little down recently. I was so caught up in my own..." Allen paused, searching for the right word. "My own problems that I didn't really notice until now. I'm sorry."

Lenalee averted her eyes and poked at her food. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine, really," Lenalee added, as Allen gave her an uncertain look and she gave Allen a smile and forced a laugh. "I'm just a little tired from everything that's happened. I'd wonder how you're fairing so well, but I bet it's all that food you eat. Alright, I'm going to try to eat as much as Allen-kun today!" She threw a fist in the air to show her resolve.

"Lenalee-chan, is that really wise?" asked Miranda, her eyes wide as she took in the multiple towers of plates nearly obscuring Allen.

Allen and Lenalee laughed. "I agree with Miss Miranda. I don't think that's the answer. In fact, it'll probably make you worse."

"Or fat," came a voice. The trio turned to find Lavi, chin propped in his hands, watching them with a smile. His smile didn't last as Lenalee promptly punched him across the mouth, knocking him to the floor.

"That's so rude, you jerk!"

Lavi rubbed at his jaw. "Whoa, I was just stating a fact."

"You never call a girl fat," Lenalee griped.

"I didn't call you fat!" Lavi pouted, pulling his chin up to rest on the table. "I said you would GET fat. There's a huge difference between the two." Lavi flashed what he knew was his winning smile. "You're still pretty hot."

"Yeah, yeah." Lenalee waved a hand, dismissing the remark. "And you're just saying that because you're such a flirt. You hit on everybody. Right, Allen?"

Allen looked up suddenly, a small blush coloring his face. "Wha-what are you asking me for? It's not like I understand him any better than you do." The next part was mumbled to himself. "Maybe even less."

Lavi frowned as Lenalee gave Allen what he knew was a sympathetic, understanding look. He could make a pretty good guess to what exactly Lenalee understood, so he wasn't too surprised when Linalee rose to her feet and said, "Come with me." She raised a hand as Allen made to go with her. "Not you, Allen-kun. Just Lavi."

Lavi shrugged and jumped up, following her from the room and Allen could only watch them go. He wanted to shout at her to stop, having a good ideas what she was going to be say, but he knew that would create an even bigger scene. Besides, it was Allen, himself, that had gotten Lenalee involved in this whole thing to begin with. So, Allen continued to eat and did his best to try and not look at Miranda, even though he knew all she would do was look at him quizzically. _That's the great thing about Miss Miranda_, Allen thought, allowing himself to smile at her. _She never asks any questions._

. . . .

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AN: Forgot to include last time that I'm now using the correct omake spellings for character names from now on. Oops. Nom Nom sap sure is fun to write.

Questions, Comments, Crits and Love are always appreciated. Thanks for the comments and thanks for reading :D


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